My red flashlight died on the night of the Orion Nebula

Last Tuesday I finally got a clear sky after two weeks of clouds and set up my 8 inch Dobsonian in the back yard around 8 pm. I had my red flashlight clipped to my pocket, the one I got for 12 dollars at a surplus store, and it worked perfect for the first hour while I found Jupiter and the Pleiades. Then I went to dig out my star atlas from my bag and realized the flashlight was gone, probably dropped in the grass when I bent over to level the mount. I spent 20 minutes on my hands and knees in the dark trying to find it, and my night vision was completely wrecked when I looked at my phone for a quick light. The Orion Nebula looked washed out and pale because my eyes never fully adjusted back, and I ended up packing it in early around 10. Now I keep a cheap backup red light in the eyepiece case, and I tie a lanyard on my main one after that lesson. Has anyone else lost gear in the yard and found a better way to keep track of small stuff in the dark?